Top Shopping Tips For Texas Tax Free Weekend 2013

Ready to do a little tax-free shopping this summer?  The Texas Tax Free weekend has been scheduled for August 9 - 11, 2013.

Those three days, Texas shoppers can skip paying taxes on clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced at $100 or less!

Here are a few of my favorite shopping tips to help you successfully navigate your tax-free shopping:

·         The tax free exemption counts toward any valid item under $100, even if you wind up spending more than $100 in a single transaction.  For example, if you buy three kids each a new pair of $50 sneakers, your $150 worth of purchases are all tax-free.

·         Items over $100 are still charged sales tax -- so you can't buy a $200 coat and only pay sales tax on $100 of it.

·         Lay-away plans can be used to help spread costs out across several paycheck cycles, so check and see if your store offers it!

·         Messenger bags and backpacks with wheels qualify for tax free exemptions, as long as they can be worn on the body like a traditional backpack.  Wheeled luggage sadly doesn't qualify.

·         Baby clothes and diapers are tax free as well -- so this is a terrific weekend to coupon for baby gear!

 

Saving Money On Back To School Shopping: A Quick Guide

Want to save more money on your list of back to school items this year?

The average family spends over $100 per child on new clothes, shoes, school supplies, and more at the beginning of every school year.

 
If you still need more money-saving ideas on back to school shopping, here are four more suggestions to consider:

• Host a clothing swap.  This would be an easy and fun summer activity for your circle of friends, especially if you have kids of similar ages and sizes.  Just invite everyone to bring their clean and gently used clothing to the party, and trade off while the kids run around in the backyard.  Older kids may want to host their own swaps, so they can have more control over what comes home with them and/or can try items on before agreeing to a trade.
• Clean out your kids' closets for extra cash.  Sites like ThredUp or Twice are willing to pay good money for your kids, tweens, and teens' gently used items, especially if they're name brands.  You can earn cash to take with you to the mall, or to turn around and use right on the site itself for even more savings.  If you don't like shopping online, check out clothing consignment stores in your area like Plato's Closet or Clothes Mentor.
• Shop thrift stores in ritzy zip codes.  The more expensive areas of town usually have a better range of clothing available in their thrift shops.  Here in San Antonio, for example, I really like shopping the Salvation Army on 281 N in the Stone Oak area -- you'd be shocked at the deals you can find there on higher-end labels!

With 100 degree temperatures….

Here are some tips to stay cool………………..

Install a Programmable Thermostat

programmable thermostat lets you preset temperatures for different times of the day, so air-conditioning is working only when you are home. The least expensive thermostat models ($30) let you set four cycles that, unless manually overridden, repeat every day. Higher-priced models ($50 and up) allow you to create settings for each weekday and for each weekend day.

These thermostats come with complete directions and are easy to install. Just remove the old thermostat, unscrewing the wire leads attached to the terminals on the back. Reattach those wires to the terminals on the new model (in a system with separate A/C and heating units there may be four leads on the back, two for each unit). AA batteries maintain the settings if the power ever goes off.

Cost: $30 to $50
Benefit: Up to 20 percent off your cooling bill

Use a Fan

A fan, which costs two to five cents per hour to operate, will make a room feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler. Also, a fan works well in tandem with an air conditioner because the dehumidifying action of the air conditioner provides drier air that the fan can then move around.

In frequently used rooms, install a ceiling fan (set it to spin counterclockwise in summer). You'll save the most money by running the fan only when you're in the room. A motion-detector switch (around $20), which turns the fan on when you enter a room and off when the room is empty, is a good addition. However, if you have pets that move in and out of the room, make sure the switch can be turned off manually. Otherwise, your pets can cause the fan to run while you're away.

If nighttime temperatures drop into the 70s where you live, you might want to purchase a whole-house fan, which runs $300 to $600 installed. This type of unit goes in an upstairs ceiling, ideally in a central hall. When run at night with the windows open, the fan will pull cool air into the house as it vents hot air out through the attic. Most models are designed to slip in between joists for easy installation. Whole-house fans, which draw only as much power as a couple of lightbulbs, are usually outfitted with a variable-speed switch and/or timer. If you install one, be sure to get an insulated box to cover the portal in winter.

Cost: Ceiling fans range from $40 to $300 or more. Floor fans cost around $20, and whole-house fans run from $300 to $600.
Benefit: Ceiling fans can decrease your cooling bill by up to 15 percent, while a whole-house fan can slash it by 50 percent.

Practice "Texas Cool"

Texas cool" is a morning and evening routine that takes advantage of cool outdoor temperatures at night and keeps the heat at bay as much as possible during daylight hours. It's very simple to do: At night when the temperature drops, open windows and bring in cool air with window fans or a whole-house fan. As soon as the sun comes up or the air starts to heat up, shut the windows and shades and keep doors closed.

Cost: $0 (plus minimal fan use)
Benefit: 20 to 50 percent off your cooling bill

Use Sunblockers

As much as 20 percent of summer heat enters your home as sunlight shining through windows. To cut "solar gain," add curtains or blinds to rooms that get direct sun and draw them in daylight hours. With the shades drawn, a well-insulated house will gain only 1 degree per hour when outdoor temperatures are above 85 degrees.

Pay special attention to west-facing rooms late in the day. Shades and blinds to consider include roller shades (the least expensive option), venetian-type micro-blinds, reflective curtains and insulated curtains (the most expensive, at $100 per window). Two exterior options are to install awnings or plant shade trees.

Cost: $8 to $100 per window
Benefit: Up to 20% of your cooling bill

Cook Smart

Any appliance that generates heat adds to your cooling load. An oven baking cookies can easily raise the room temperature 10 degrees, which in turn jacks up overall cooling costs 2 to 5 percent. Save cooking (especially baking) for cooler hours, or cook outdoors on your grill. It is also a good idea to run the dishwasher and clothes dryer at night.

Cost: $0
Benefit: 2 to 5 percent off your cooling costs

Get Cooler Lights

Incandescent bulbs don't contribute as much heat as unshaded windows, but they do add heat to a house and can raise the perceived temperature, sending you to the thermostat to seek relief. To reduce this hot-light effect and save lighting costs year-round, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. They use about 75 percent less energy and emit 90 percent less heat.

Cost: $12 to $25 per bulb
Benefit: Up to 5 percent off your cooling bill plus electricity savings

Snug Up the Ducts

Leaky ducts can cut into air-conditioning efficiency. Ductwork must be balanced between the supply and return sides of the system in order for it to work safely and efficiently, so making a repair in one section can cause a problem in another. Leak-prone areas include the return plenum; where branch ducts meet the trunk line; and where ducts attach to outlets. Also, insulate ducts that run through a hot attic with a blanket of R-11 fiberglass insulation.

Unless the duct repairs are minor, it's wise to leave them to a HVAC pro. While the contractor is on site checking your ducts, have him tune up the air-conditioning unit by cleaning filters, unplugging coils, unblocking drains and lubing the fan.

Cost: $75 to start for a service call
Benefit: Up to 40 percent off your cooling bill

July 25, 2013

Things to Think about………………………….

We always hear about ways to succeed, here are ways that may have you on the path to not succeeding

Poor e-mail communication.  This can involve everything from not responding to e-mails to not being aware of how you come across in an e-mail.  “You might be perceived as abrupt or rude, or too long-winded or wordy,” Brooks says. If you have a bad habit of taking too long to check or respond to e-mails, you could miss important meetings or deadlines, cause delays or confusion, or come off as unprofessional.
Social media addiction. Another common path to job loss is the habitual obsession that many employees have with social media, Stearns says. “If you said going on Facebook 20 times a day doesn’t interfere with your work, you’d be lying.” Some companies have taken measures to monitor or limit their employees’ social media use, while others have blocked these sites completely. So beware: spending too much time on social media or other websites not related to your work can cost you your job.
Bad body language habits. Do you routinely roll your eyes? Do you have a weak handshake? Do you avoid making eye contact? These could all be career killers. “People must understand that actions speak louder than words,” Peplow says. “And the majority of our communication is done through non-verbal cues.” Co-workers, managers or clients may perceive some of your non-verbal communication habits as rude or unprofessional—and these things could eventually have a significant impact on the advancement of your career.
Inattentiveness.  If you’re always distracted—a bad habit that plenty of employees possess—you might fail to properly assess the culture of the workplace, which can be damaging to your career.  “Each workplace has its own culture and style, whether it’s the official or unofficial dress code, the social atmosphere, or the official and unofficial hierarchy,” Brooks says. “Failure to observe the culture and fit in can create tension or mark you as different, and potentially less desirable.”
You’ll also want to be aware of personal habits that might be offensive or distracting to co-workers. “Working in an office setting demands that you be sensitive to co-workers and not behave in a manner which distracts them from their work or makes their work setting uncomfortable,” she adds. “This can run the range from body odor, bringing strong-smelling food to your cubicle, playing music too loudly, telling inappropriate jokes, or using your speaker-phone to make calls.”
Poor grammar. “When you hear someone using poor grammar, slang, or profanity, it translates into believing that person to be uneducated,” says Peplow. Remind yourself that you are not at home, or speaking with friends at a social gathering.  Be on point by always assuming that your boss is in earshot.
Lone wolf syndrome.  Have a habit of always wanting to do things on your own? That won’t work in the office. “While independence is good in some situations or when concentration is needed to get a project done, generally people who are team players experience more success at work,” Brooks says. “Team-playing involves a lot of positive behaviors including giving credit where it is due (that is, not taking credit for work which a colleague did), helping others when possible, doing tasks that aren’t necessarily in your job description, et cetera.” If you’re not seen as a team player, you won’t have the support of your colleagues when problems arise.
Temper tantrums. If you lose your temper, it is assumed that you cannot work well under pressure or handle responsibilities well, Peplow says. “Practice stress reduction techniques like mediation or deep breathing exercises, and never bring personal problems to work.”
Inefficiency. Bad habits like disorganization, wasting time, and being too talkative can make you an extremely inefficient worker. “You may not realize it, but many of your co-workers are there to work, not socialize, and they may not want to be rude to you by breaking off from personal conversations,” Hoover says. You don’t want to become the person your colleagues avoid working with–so, keep the water cooler talk to a minimum, keep your desk organized and don’t spend too much time on non-work-related tasks.
Speaking without thinking. If you’ve got ‘foot-in-mouth’ syndrome, you must control it in the workplace. Saying something inappropriate in a meeting or an e-mail can be detrimental to your career.
Lack of manners. “The most important things are what we learned when we were little,” Peplow says. When you ask for something, say ‘please.’  When someone gives you something, say ‘thank you.’ If you don’t know someone, introduce yourself.  If you need to interrupt someone, say ‘excuse me.’  “Manners are important, so don’t be rude.  And above all, if you don’t have something nice to say…don’t say anything at all,” she says.
These are just a few bad habits that can cause you to be fired, turned down for a job offer, or looked over for that promotion, Peplow says. “Take a look at yourself and ask others about your habits.” And if you do receive any feedback, take it seriously, Brooks adds. “Try to listen to the concern, and take some time to own it without defensively dismissing it.”
“Much of this comes down to communication,” Hoover concludes. “We all have little annoying habits, and top-down communication is really key [in making employees aware of their bad habits]. From there, it’s up to the individual to correct them.”

Things to Think about………………………….

We always hear about ways to succeed, here are ways that may have you on the path to not succeeding

Poor e-mail communication.  This can involve everything from not responding to e-mails to not being aware of how you come across in an e-mail.  “You might be perceived as abrupt or rude, or too long-winded or wordy,” Brooks says. If you have a bad habit of taking too long to check or respond to e-mails, you could miss important meetings or deadlines, cause delays or confusion, or come off as unprofessional.
Social media addiction. Another common path to job loss is the habitual obsession that many employees have with social media, Stearns says. “If you said going on Facebook 20 times a day doesn’t interfere with your work, you’d be lying.” Some companies have taken measures to monitor or limit their employees’ social media use, while others have blocked these sites completely. So beware: spending too much time on social media or other websites not related to your work can cost you your job.
Bad body language habits. Do you routinely roll your eyes? Do you have a weak handshake? Do you avoid making eye contact? These could all be career killers. “People must understand that actions speak louder than words,” Peplow says. “And the majority of our communication is done through non-verbal cues.” Co-workers, managers or clients may perceive some of your non-verbal communication habits as rude or unprofessional—and these things could eventually have a significant impact on the advancement of your career.
Inattentiveness.  If you’re always distracted—a bad habit that plenty of employees possess—you might fail to properly assess the culture of the workplace, which can be damaging to your career.  “Each workplace has its own culture and style, whether it’s the official or unofficial dress code, the social atmosphere, or the official and unofficial hierarchy,” Brooks says. “Failure to observe the culture and fit in can create tension or mark you as different, and potentially less desirable.”
You’ll also want to be aware of personal habits that might be offensive or distracting to co-workers. “Working in an office setting demands that you be sensitive to co-workers and not behave in a manner which distracts them from their work or makes their work setting uncomfortable,” she adds. “This can run the range from body odor, bringing strong-smelling food to your cubicle, playing music too loudly, telling inappropriate jokes, or using your speaker-phone to make calls.”
Poor grammar. “When you hear someone using poor grammar, slang, or profanity, it translates into believing that person to be uneducated,” says Peplow. Remind yourself that you are not at home, or speaking with friends at a social gathering.  Be on point by always assuming that your boss is in earshot.
Lone wolf syndrome.  Have a habit of always wanting to do things on your own? That won’t work in the office. “While independence is good in some situations or when concentration is needed to get a project done, generally people who are team players experience more success at work,” Brooks says. “Team-playing involves a lot of positive behaviors including giving credit where it is due (that is, not taking credit for work which a colleague did), helping others when possible, doing tasks that aren’t necessarily in your job description, et cetera.” If you’re not seen as a team player, you won’t have the support of your colleagues when problems arise.
Temper tantrums. If you lose your temper, it is assumed that you cannot work well under pressure or handle responsibilities well, Peplow says. “Practice stress reduction techniques like mediation or deep breathing exercises, and never bring personal problems to work.”
Inefficiency. Bad habits like disorganization, wasting time, and being too talkative can make you an extremely inefficient worker. “You may not realize it, but many of your co-workers are there to work, not socialize, and they may not want to be rude to you by breaking off from personal conversations,” Hoover says. You don’t want to become the person your colleagues avoid working with–so, keep the water cooler talk to a minimum, keep your desk organized and don’t spend too much time on non-work-related tasks.
Speaking without thinking. If you’ve got ‘foot-in-mouth’ syndrome, you must control it in the workplace. Saying something inappropriate in a meeting or an e-mail can be detrimental to your career.
Lack of manners. “The most important things are what we learned when we were little,” Peplow says. When you ask for something, say ‘please.’  When someone gives you something, say ‘thank you.’ If you don’t know someone, introduce yourself.  If you need to interrupt someone, say ‘excuse me.’  “Manners are important, so don’t be rude.  And above all, if you don’t have something nice to say…don’t say anything at all,” she says.
These are just a few bad habits that can cause you to be fired, turned down for a job offer, or looked over for that promotion, Peplow says. “Take a look at yourself and ask others about your habits.” And if you do receive any feedback, take it seriously, Brooks adds. “Try to listen to the concern, and take some time to own it without defensively dismissing it.”
“Much of this comes down to communication,” Hoover concludes. “We all have little annoying habits, and top-down communication is really key [in making employees aware of their bad habits]. From there, it’s up to the individual to correct them.”